


Absence

by Ulqueleh (Ulquii)



Series: Fictober 2019 [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abandonment, Abandonment Issues, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Custody Battle, Fights, Kinda, M/M, Past Allura/Keith (Voltron), Past Relationship(s), Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Single Parent Keith (Voltron), child custody, he has a daughter, they're okay now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:13:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26998024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulquii/pseuds/Ulqueleh
Summary: “I’m her mother,” she muttered, suddenly fragile, and Keith almost stutters, having such a weakness for what she said.“Are you?” he asked, ire knotting up his throat, “Are you, Allura?”
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Past Allura/Keith (Voltron) - Relationship
Series: Fictober 2019 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613635
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	Absence

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a longer story I haven't written, but it's easy to understand what's going on.

“Excuse me?” 

“I want full custody,” she repeated harder, looking right into his eyes, “I have the same right to be by her side as you.” 

“That was before abandoning us!” 

Her expression turned severe. 

“I already told you I’m sorry,” she said as an answer, as if that was a way to excuse it and just an apology would fix everything. 

“Yeah, I’m aware,” he strained out, eyes tarting to prick, “What’s your point?” 

She hesitated in what else to say, but her gaze was still determinated, the bluest eyes he had loved with such an intensity in his youth bringing him back so much pain and sadness. 

This was a nightmare. 

“I’m her mother,” she muttered, suddenly fragile, and Keith almost stutters, having such a weakness for what she said. 

“Are you?” he asked, ire knotting up his throat, “Are you, Allura?” 

She tensed, the shock clear in her face. 

“What?” 

“Because I didn’t see you lull her to sleep during the first six months of her life for her to fall asleep,” he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, “She needed to stay in someone’s arms for at least an hour or she would cry.” 

She stared at him for a few seconds, her eyebrows twisted in confusion. 

“What.” 

“And I didn’t see you console her when she scraped her knee for the first time either,” he stated, “nor ‘heal’ her with a kiss for the pain to go away before putting on a band-aid on it.” 

“Wait...” 

“And I didn’t see you run to her room when she woke up in the middle of the night because of nightmares,” he said shaking his head, squinting, “nor cuddle her when she insisted to not leave her alone or the monster would come back.” 

“Keith...” 

“You weren’t there either when she promised to be good in exchange for candy,” he scoffed, a fleeting smile crossing over his mouth before turning into a scowl, “Nor when she learnt to overpower her fear to the dark. Nor when she won her first taekwondo belt. Nor when she crumbled in sobs after her ice cream fell from her hands.” 

She mouthed, her carefully put-together expression breaking into pieces, and he had to take a breath to calm down, sighing heavily and averting his gaze to the floor. 

“You weren’t there for all the times she asked for her mother,” he murmured, brow furrowed at the pain he remembered from it, “You didn’t see her eyes light up in hope of how you looked or where you were.” 

She gasped, breath hitched, and he shook his head for it to not affect him. 

“Or when were you coming back.” 

He went silent, biting his lower lip and tightening his fingers on his arms to keep the tears from forming on his eyes, from them to fall down his cheeks. And even if he wanted to ignore it, he could hear her contain her sobs in front of him. 

“I raised her for 7 years, Allura,” he whispered, trying to keep his voice in check after saying so much, “I raised her on my own after you abandoned us.” 

He gave her a glance, finding her shrinking on her place. She was hugging herself in a poor attempt of consolation, and it wasn’t the first time Keith felt the need to wrap her with his arms and hug her and caress her hair until her cries stopped. 

But that wasn’t his place anymore. Neither was hers. 

“Get out,” he said looking away, and she snapped her face up in surprise, eyes drowned in tears. 

“What.” 

“Get out of our home right in this moment, Allura,” he requested, his voice soft against his will. 

“No,” she sobbed, still stern despite the crack of her voice, “I don’t want to leave her. Not again, Keith. Please. 

“Get out.” He stalked over to her, crossing the hallway and making her step back, “Go back to your new boyfriend and don’t you dare get near my daughter again.” 

Her body tensed, trying to stand her ground and head up high. But she hesitated when she had to look up to him, his height now taller than hers because of the years passed. Her hands tightened on her sides, jaw shaking with the threat of more tears. 

“Y-you can’t do this.” 

“Watch me.” 

She scoffed, incensed, and turned to the door easily in her high-heels. 

“I’ll take legal action!” she threatened while walking to the door after snatching her purse from the kitchen counter, “You can’t keep me away from Andy!” 

The front door slamming closed echoed in the house, bringing a tense and sad silence over him. He took a breath as slow and deep his racing heart let him, and his arms fell limp on his sides, his eyes falling closed and tears finally rolling down his cheeks. 

“Keith?” 

He startled, looking over the hallway where the door to the rooms were and finding him standing beside their open door. He saw his eyes widen at his tears and he was quick to wipe them while he rushed to his side. 

“Is Andromeda asleep?” he asked, his throat raspy and aching from straining sobs, “I’m sorry about the noise. I didn’t think she-” 

A hand holds his wrists, pulling away his careless fingers from his teary eyes, and the other hand finds place on his face, thumbing away the tears he didn’t have time to rub. 

“Keith.” 

He took a slow breath and looked up to his eyes. Fingers brushed some of his hair strands away from his face, perching them behind his ear, and caressed the back of his hand, so gently and sweet that made him want to broke down in cries. 

“Shiro?” he called for him when they stayed silent for too long, feeling his eyes watching him and enjoying the affective touches. 

He gave him a small smile and leaned over to kiss his forehead, rounding his waist with his arm and making him hide in the crook of his neck. 

“Everything would be alright,” he assured in a murmur, taking a breath from his hair, “We’re in this together, okay?” 

Keith gasped and nodded, letting himself be held by him to at least let go of part of the tension that had him suffering. 

“Thank you, Shiro.” 

“Don’t thank me,” he said, pulling away a little and once again brushing away the stray strands of black hair falling over his face, “I want to be with you. Your you to give me permission to be part of your life and Andy’s is the best that could ever happen to me.” 

He couldn’t help smiling, letting out a hushed breath. 

“I love you, Shiro.” 

The smile he gave back lightened the heavy weight of what’s to come. 

“I love you, Keith.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject) (including the [LLF Comment Builder](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/commentbuilder)), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates responses, including:
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!
> 
> ~
> 
> Come and yell with me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ulqueleh)!


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